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| Less Than 20,000 Squid Heads Under the Sea | |
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| Episode #: | 1.10 |
| Airdate: | November 14, 1993 |
| Written by: | Mark Zaslove & Jeremy Cushner (story), Jeremy Cushner (teleplay) |
| Directed by: | Kyle James & James West |
| Based On: | Mighty Max Caught by the Man-Eater |
| Episode Guide | |
| Previous: | Bring Me the Head of Mighty Max |
| Next: | Werewolves of Dunneglen |
Less Than 20,000 Squid Heads Under the Sea is the tenth episode of the Mighty Max Animated Series. The episode was written by Mark Zaslove and Jeremy Cushner and first aired November 14, 1993.
Synopsis[]
An oil tycoon's ships are being destroyed and his investigation leads to Max and the gang having to save him and a lost civilization of squid people.
Plot[]
A ship passes by the horizon and is suddenly engulfed by several giant tentacles. Elsewhere, Max plays football with his gym class. During practice, he is teleported away inside a portal. Max wonders where he is, and is told by Virgil that they are in Scotland. Max, Virgil, and Norman head to the next portal, which sends them in the middle of the ocean. Virgil comments that there should've been an oil tanker where they appeared. J. Oliver Penderoil, an oil tycoon, rescues the trio and reveals he's searching for the oil tanker as well. An alarm goes off, and Ollie discovers a shark attacking the submarine. Ollie electrocutes the shark and it flees. The group head further below and find the oil tankers destroyed. As Ollie rants in anger, a tentacle attacks the ship. It's a Giant Squid, trying to wrap its tentacles around the submarine. The Giant Squid is unaffected by the electrical weaponry, so the group decide to just escape. The squid chases after the ship, but they make their way into an undersea cave.
Inside the cave, they find ruins of a city. The inhabitants of the ruins show themselves -- Squid People. Ollie blames them for destroying his tanker. The Squid People run away, and Max decides to go after them. After some searching, they find the Squid People escaping into a temple. Their leader, Kalamarus, introduces himself. He reveals that they've been trapped by the Giant Squid in the cave for almost a millennium. They seem perfectly content staying there, but Max is able to rile them up, boosting their confidence. Ollie goes off with a plan to get rid of the Giant Squid, with Max trailing close behind.
Max tries to take control of Ollie's submarine, but they crash into a wall, allowing enough space for the Giant Squid to enter the ruins. Norman uses a lamp post composed of bio-luminescent fish to attract the squid. They toss it in the water, while the Squid chases it and bumps into the wall. The Squid catches Max and Ollie and begins crushing the submarine. The Squid People swim down, assisting Max's ship. While the Giant Squid is distracted, Ollie tries to escape, but Max stops him. Ollie realizes that he's a coward and that money doesn't buy everything. Max gets a plan, and they go to the abandoned, destroyed tanker. The Squid chases them, but Max uses the electric discharge, blowing the Giant Squid up. At the ruins, Norman grabs Kalamarus and Virgil and runs as the ship propels itself towards them. Max pops out, unharmed, telling the Squid People they are free to leave, all due to their bravery. Ollie gets the trio back to the surface and starts trying to bargain with Max over movie rights. Max and the others simply teleport away.
Epilogue[]
"This week, we went into the depths of the ocean to battle a giant squid. Squids are invertebrates, which means they don't have a backbone, and giant squids are the largest invertebrates on Earth. They eat meat and have extremely advanced eyes that can spot their prey hundreds of yards away. Kind of takes the fun out of swimming, huh? See you next week!"
Notes[]
Max displaying the number "01" on his jersey and his printed hearts boxers.
- This episode is based on Mighty Max Caught by the Man-Eater.
- Max's football jersey had the number "01."
- This episode is the first mention of Max's cousin.
- Max's educational epilogue was about squids and giant squids.
- Max wears printed hearts boxers.